Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran blended into the crowd, quietly observing the situation.
Until almost noon, many people had lost hope of leaving, but a large portion still stubbornly waited there.
Some even boldly ran to the city gates to demand an explanation from the guard soldiers.
Initially, those soldiers merely blocked them with their weapons and did not take any extreme actions.
After a while, it's unclear whether someone gave them orders, but those soldiers started to manhandle the troublemaking civilians, and soon dispersed a large group of them.
The number of people in front of the city gates dwindled, and after noon, there were only a few left.
At this point, Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran grew anxious. Little White had gone to the Capital city in the morning to deliver a message to Fei Nanyu but still hadn't returned. They worried that something might have happened on Fei Nanyu's side as well.
Just as the two were about to discuss a plan, Mo Jiuye spotted a small white dot flying towards them from the direction of the city gates.
"Ran Ran, Little White is back."
To avoid drawing attention, the two deliberately walked to a secluded spot.
Little White flew towards Mo Jiuye at top speed and perched on his shoulder.
To be cautious, He Zhiran scanned their surroundings, then pulled Mo Jiuye with her as they flashed into their secret realm.
This time, with the situation being urgent, Mo Jiuye didn't immediately reward Little White but quickly retrieved the note tied to its leg.
The note was written by Fei Nanyu. Unlike usual, it was brief and a bit messy, but they could still recognize Fei Nanyu's handwriting.
Fei Nanyu said that the Empress had forged an imperial edict, claiming that Emperor Shunwu was unwell, and since there was no Crown Prince, she would temporarily manage state affairs.
It seemed the Empress' faction had made prior arrangements. Once the edict was issued, her people took control of the entire court.
Fei Nanyu guessed that the Emperor had likely been harmed, and the city gates were sealed to prevent Prince Qi from returning with troops from outside.
Lastly, he instructed Mo Jiuye to have Little White visit him again later. He and Nan Qi were trying to obtain palace entry tokens from the Xue Family. If successful, he would have Little White deliver the tokens to them at night.
The note didn't contain much detail; Fei Nanyu only provided a general overview. Neither Mo Jiuye nor He Zhiran could analyze further.
Moreover, their purpose for this trip was not to save the Da Shun dynasty but to eliminate those unfavorable to the Mo Family.
In any case, their current goal was to successfully enter the Capital city. Since Fei Nanyu had already come up with a solution, they could afford to wait a bit longer.
He Zhiran checked Little White's wounds and, seeing no issues, fed it before sending it back to Fei Nanyu.
For now, it seemed all they could do was wait. Fortunately, there were still some civilians lingering outside the city gates, so their presence wouldn't seem too conspicuous.
A little earlier than expected, just as night fell, Little White returned.
This time, it not only had a letter tied to its leg but also a small token.
Mo Jiuye recognized the token - it was for use by palace staff. Back when he used to accompany Nan Qi as a reading companion, the mischievous Nan Qi would sneak out of the palace using this very token.
Fei Nanyu sending them such a token likely meant the Empress had recently sent people out of the city, otherwise these tokens were typically only used for entering and exiting the palace.
After pocketing the token, Mo Jiuye opened the letter.
"Welcome to the manor," it read in just six words. Fei Nanyu was asking them to visit him as soon as they entered the city.
Even if he didn't say so, Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran would still go see him first, as they needed to learn about the situation within the Capital city from him.
Considering the token Fei Nanyu gave them was meant for palace staff, Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran disguised themselves again.
This time, they dressed as palace attendants and applied makeup to alter their appearances.
Once prepared, the two flashed out of their secret realm.
At this time, there wasn't a single person at the Capital city gates. Those civilians who had been waiting to enter had already left.
The towering city gates were tightly shut, with soldiers standing at attention on the watchtowers above, ready for battle.
Seeing two figures approach the gates, the soldiers on the watchtowers shouted a warning.
"The city is sealed, none may enter or exit. Leave immediately if you don't want to die."
Remembering that palace attendants spoke in a high-pitched tone, which wouldn't suit Mo Jiuye, He Zhiran deliberately deepened her voice as she showed the token.
"We were sent out on an errand by Her Majesty the Empress. This token is proof."
Hearing they were sent by the Empress, the soldiers on the watchtower immediately came down.
The city gates opened a small gap, and a large hand reached out.
"Hand over the token for inspection."
He Zhiran quickly passed the token over.
Soon, the gates moved again, opening a gap wide enough for one person to pass through.
"You two, hurry inside."
Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran entered one after the other.
The soldiers seemed to have no doubts about them and simply returned the token.
Mo Jiuye knew that the palace attendants were arrogant and wouldn't bother with these soldiers, so he didn't exchange any pleasantries and led He Zhiran towards the inner city.
The Capital city was undoubtedly the place Mo Jiuye was most familiar with, especially since Fei Nanyu's current manor was the former Mo Family residence.
Returning to his former home, no one knew the route better than Mo Jiuye himself.
They occasionally saw patrolling soldiers on the main streets.
It was understandable for the capital, the ruler's domain, to have strict security measures. However, in Mo Jiuye's memory, he had never seen so many patrol soldiers in the Capital city at night before.
Not only that, there were almost no pedestrians on the main streets. Even the few wine houses that still had their lights on seemed devoid of customers.
The two were disguised as palace attendants, walking openly on the Capital city streets. At most, the soldiers would question them upon seeing their attire, but they didn't cause any trouble.
After roughly half an hour of walking and observing, the two finally reached the vicinity of Fei's manor.
Although Mo Jiuye didn't yet know the specifics of the court situation, considering the Empress controlled the entire court and Fei Nanyu was Nan Qi's man, he would undoubtedly be watched.
Therefore, instead of going through the main entrance, Mo Jiuye led He Zhiran to a side alley, intending to enter through the rear garden.
However, as they approached the side gate of Fei's manor, the gate opened from the inside.
The one who opened it was none other than Fei Nanyu's trusted personal attendant, someone Mo Jiuye was familiar with.
With Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran's disguised appearances, the attendant didn't recognize them.
Fei Nanyu had instructed the attendant to wait at the side gate and let Mo Jiuye and his wife in through this entrance when they arrived.
With the Capital city under high alert lately, there were basically no pedestrians at this hour, especially in such a secluded alley.
Hearing footsteps, the attendant naturally assumed it was Mo Jiuye and his wife.
However, the two people before him were complete strangers, startling him into quickly shutting the side gate again.
